New Wright State head women’s basketball coach Kari Hoffman finalized her coaching staff on Friday with the announcement of assistant coaches John Leonzo, Megan Leuzinger and Patrick Bain to join her on the Raider bench.
“I am so excited to add John, Megan, and Patrick to our staff,” Hoffman said. “I am most excited about their desire to buy in, work hard, and help develop the players on and off the floor. In life, you win with people and I feel like this staff will prove that statement to be true.”
Leonzo joins the Raiders after five seasons as an assistant coach at Cedarville University, where he was involved in all facets of the program, including recruiting, player development and scouting. Prior to joining Hoffman on the Cedarville sidelines, he was the basketball coordinator at Spooky Nook Sports – the largest indoor sports complex in the country. He conducted player development workouts for athletes ranging from top area high school athletes to professionals. He is also the creator of John Leonzo Basketball, in which he ran his own camp clinics and workouts, and has also coached AAU teams and worked camps for the University of Virginia and the Philadelphia 76ers.Leonzo is a Harrisburg, Pa. native and a Cedarville graduate.
Leuzinger comes to Wright State after three seasons as the head coach at Evangel University where she helped propel the Crusaders to 19 and 20 wins in her first two seasons. Prior to Evangel, she logged two seasons on the sidelines as an assistant at Valparaiso University. Before entering the coaching ranks, Leuzinger enjoyed a professional career that started in the WNBA after earning All-America honors at Liberty University. Drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars with the 14th pick of the 2009 WNBA Draft, she played two seasons in San Antonio before playing seven season in Europe with stops in Turkey, Poland, and Israel. Leuziner prepped at Xenia Christian High School in Xenia, Ohio, where she was named the Ohio Division 4 Player of the Year.
Bain, a former Cedarville standout, makes the short trip to Dayton after serving as an assistant coach for three seasons at his alma mater on the men’s side. He scored 1,266 points during his career from 2014-18 and averaged 21.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists as a senior through 19 games before suffering a season-ending injury. Despite the early exit to the sidelines, the Tipp City, Ohio product was still named to the NCCAA All-America Second Team.
Hoffman was announced as the eighth head coach in Wright State women’s basketball history on May 20. She joined the Raiders after serving as the head coach at nearby Cedarville for the last five seasons, where she won 106 games, led the Yellow Jackets to three regular season conference titles and was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021. Hoffman also earned NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and 2020.
